In Spite of all the Danger

Twenty Flight Rock

It was another day at the Quarry High School when John had decided to skip his classes.  He spent his time doodling in his sketchbook or running around with his other two friends.  His mates were Pete Best and Stu Stutcliffe, both were loyal and just as tough as he was.  The three boys would play guitar and drums for a band they formed together.  

  They called themselves the Quarrymen, after their school that they, well...did not attend often.  Although John was smart in school, he would be bored by everything and he'd fall asleep in his classes.  The one class he did not fall asleep in was Art class.  He loved to draw and doodle.

    However, there were consequences whenever he didn't show up to his other classes.  

"Mr. Lennon!"  The teacher raised his voice with an anger tone.  

John lifted up his head from sleeping, "Oh! uh--yes Mr. Dachshund?"   

"Three F's in my classes you are smarter then this!"  The teacher yelled.

John looked around noticing that no other student was in the classroom.  He looked back to the teacher.  Mr. Dachshund slapped his yard stick on his desk,

"You don't clean up your act mister you'll be sent to the headmaster do you understand?!"

"Yes sir..." John mumbled.  

    Although he didn't care what his teachers said nor did he care what other's thought about him.  In fact, he decided to flunk out of school.  From his rough family history, his mother had died in a car accident and his father abandoned his mother.  Now John only lives with his music hating aunt Mimi.   

    John had a girlfriend he met in Art school, and her name was Cynthia Powell.  She had blonde hair that sat upon her shoulders, a bob cut just below her eyebrows, and wore a pink headband.  She respected and loved John for his love with Art and drawing.  It was a past Christmas when he wrote a card for her, a drawing of himself and Cynthia together.  

    However, when he flunked out of school it was harder for her to see him again.  Although when he formed the Quarrymen he played at the Cavern Club just down in Liverpool.  There she was still able too see him playing up on stage with his buddies.  

    One day John was preforming outside of the Cavern singing and preforming the song Maggie Mae.  A short song with a small crowd listening too the band.  When the song ended a few cheered including Cynthia herself.  Although, it wasn't until after the performance someone wanted in on the band.

    A seemingly young looking boy the age of 15, had Elvis like hair, wore a rather formal-ish white coat, blue collared shirt, and tight black trousers.  He had a round baby face with bright half open hazel eyes.  The boy walked up to Lennon,

"Hey, your pretty great mate."

"Oh, thanks do you play yourself?"  He asked.

"Yes actually uhm....I was hoping I could join your band."  The boy asked.

John and the rest of his mates came behind him, John looked too the boy with a scoff,

"Okay--play me something then."

    The boy went and picked up a left-handed guitar.  He tuned the guitar and then started to play the song Twenty Flight Rock by Eddie Cochran.  His finger picking and guitar skills were astonishing to Lennon, there were some chords he hadn't even learned how to play yet.  The fact that the boy's guitar had six strings instead of just four.

After the boy finished playing, John crossed his arms,

"Who are you?"

"I'm Paul."  the boy replied.

"I'm John. How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"Since when?"

"Last month."  Paul replied assuring him

   From that moment on Lennon saw something in Paul that he couldn't shy away from.  And McCartney found his way into the band.  Though he would visit him on some days and teach Lennon how to play with six strings on a guitar.  He even taught him how to play a few new songs.

   It was another new night at the Cavern Club, John and his mates let Paul sing his song Twenty Flight Rock on the mic.  Young and quite charming to the crowd, it was something new added too the band.  After days of playing and so fourth, the two grew a partnership in music.  They both liked Elvis and Buddy Holly.

   Pete Best and Stu Stuttcliffe still gained a mutual friendship with McCartney, however they were too sure about John.  Pete had always been close to John in any situation, and in this case, with Paul being the new bass guitarist he spent more time learning to play with him.  Not that he didn't like McCartney but, he felt that John did not care about him as much as he used too.

   Pete was an okay drummer, he was good looking for all the girls but, his drumming was on the slow-ish side.  Stu was also a great guitarist as well and he was always at John's side trying too look tough and strong around the ladies.  

   Although it wasn't until one day when Stu had decided to leave the band for his beloved girlfriend.  He knew John wasn't going to care so he just left, and never said goodbye to him.  That same night John got drunk and angry punching his fists into a wall until they bled.  

   There was more too just losing a friend, it was losing a lead guitarist.